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LeT behind killing of two CRPF men in Pulwama
Post-Jammu attacks, BSF shores up border embankment
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PDP to play historic role in scripting history of J&K: Mufti
Vaishno Devi varsity VC calls on Governor
Important sections of 73rd Amendment
to be extended to J&K soon: Minister
Rahul brings cheer to rural women
Met alerts a week in advance, courtesy link to GPS system
Will support Rahul’s efforts to solve Kashmir issue: Mirwaiz
By June, shell out more to travel on new Jammu-Srinagar highway
Anganwadis a boon for kids from remote areas
After Srinagar, Tulip
Garden to come up in Anantnag
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LeT behind killing of two CRPF men in Pulwama
Srinagar, November 8 On Thursday evening, two militant outfits Hizbul Mujahideen and Ashuhada Brigade had separately claimed responsibility for the attack to a Srinagar-based news agency. “Lashkar is behind the attack,” said Inspector General of Police Abdul Ghani Mir said. “We have taken up the investigation and have got concrete leads in the case. We are on the job and we will get them,” he added. The police said it was suspected that two Lashkar militants carried out the Thursday evening attack on the road opening party (ROP) of the CRPF men in the Jawbara area of Awantipora town on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. The attack left two CRPF men of 130 Battalion dead. Police sources said the was carried out by the LeT’s Qasim module, which was behind many deadly attacks in south Kashmir as well as in Srinagar (central Kashmir) this year. The module, the sources said, had become a headache for the security agencies. “The Qasim module was also involved in the Hyderpora attack at the Srinagar bypass on an Army convoy in which eight Army men were killed on June 24,” a police source said. “We suspect that one of the militants who carried out the attack in Hyderpora was also involved in the shootout in Awantipora,” the source said. The police sources said nearly three dozen militants of the LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen and other groups were active in four districts of south Kashmir. Qasim module
Homage paid to jawans
Srinagar, November 8 Constable Pradeep Ghana of Keonjhar in Orissa and Mukesh Kumar of Barhadiya in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, were killed when militants opened fire on a road opening party of the CRPF at the Jawbara area of Awantipora town on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, 30 km from here. Special DG, CRPF, DK Pathak led all ranks of the CRPF to pay homage to the two slain CRPF men. The wreath-laying ceremony was also attended by senior J&K Police and CRPF officers. The officers laid wreaths on the bodies of the two slain paramilitary personnel. Their bodies were later dispatched to their respective states.
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Post-Jammu attacks, BSF shores up border embankment
Jammu, November 8 Besides expediting the process to pave the way for widening the embankment all along the international border from the existing 60 feet to 135 feet, the BSF has also decided to acquire new surveillance devices and weaponries to effectively plug the openings in the form of rivulets that flow into Pakistan. “The state government is taking steps to provide us land along the border where the135-foot-wide embankment will come up,” said a top BSF source. The officer said the decision had been taken by the Union Home Ministry in tandem with the state government a couple of years ago. “Following the attacks
on September 26, the process has been speeded up,” he said. The source said once the 135-ft embankment comes up, a multi-tier impregnable system with barbed fence, sensors and floodlights would be put in place, making infiltration a near-impossible task for terrorists. “Besides raising the embankment, the BSF is also improving its surveillance and weaponry capabilities,” said the source. Referring to the openings in the form of rivulets that flow into Pakistan and low-lying areas that get inundated during the monsoons every year and where fence gets washed away, he said the BSF had been giving a serious thought to it. While we are planning to have unattended ground sensors, for rivulets, we have to rely upon naked-eye view, binoculars in the day and hand-held thermal imagers in the night, he said. “Unattended ground sensors pick up vibration on the ground so they are not effective under water. Being networked devices, these sensors provide an early warning system and are also capable of remote operation. We are getting more information on these sensors for having them in gaps between posts,” he said. And, for rivulets we have augmented our strength, besides increasing our firearm and surveillance capabilities, he added. The officer said the BSF had last year added Israeli-made X-95 guns fitted with laser and infrared beams, Beretta guns and long-range grenade launchers to its arsenal. A Revenue Department official said the BSF had embarked on increasing the width of the embankment from existing 60 feet to 135 feet in areas where it had been given clearance. In Jammu and Samba districts, a survey in over 80 villages has reached its final stage, he said. Land from at least 118 villages in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts would be used for the purpose. The international border runs from Kathua to Akhnoor, north of Jammu. |
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PDP to play historic role in scripting history of J&K: Mufti
Jammu, November 8 Mufti said change was imminent in the state and the people of J&K were looking towards the PDP to rid them of the present inept and corrupt dispensation. Addressing senior party workers of Jammu district here today, Mufti said the PDP was the real voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the party had to play a historic role in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir. “Regional parties are emerging all over the country. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orrisa, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab are the examples where regional parties are dominating the political scene,” he said and added that the PDP being the most credible and genuine regional force of J&K had to address the aspirations and wishes of all regions and sub-regions of the state. He said the PDP had played a historic role in restoring peoples’ faith in democratic institutions of the state. He especially mentioned about the 2002 Assembly elections which he said were a turning point in the history of the state when people of Jammu and Kashmir had realised that they could change the government through their votes.
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Vaishno Devi varsity VC calls on Governor
Jammu, November 8 The Governor, who is the Chancellor of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, discussed with the Vice Chancellor important matters relating to the development of the university as a centre of excellence in the field of teaching and research. While reviewing the construction of hostels, residential accommodation for faculty and staff and other required infrastructure of the varsity, the Governor emphasised the need for speeding up the construction work to ensure completion of all ongoing development projects. The Vice Chancellor also briefed the Governor about the to-date status of the teaching and research facilities and recent efforts to fill up all existing vacancies. — TNS |
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Important sections of 73rd Amendment
to be extended to J&K soon: Minister
Jammu, November 8 “It is on record that when the Union Government had asked all states to implement the Amendment, the then Governor of the state, GC Saxena, had rejected the proposal,” Sagar told The Tribune. He added that Saxena was convinced that the J&K Panchayati Raj Act of 1989 was appropriate to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the state like in other parts of the country. In 1993, Jammu and Kashmir was under the Governor’s Rule and the Congress was ruling the country. The Congress leadership has been blaming coalition partner National Conference (NC) for creating hurdles in extending the 73rd Amendment to the state. As the 73rd Amendment has become the bone of contention between the NC and the Congress, Sagar sought to downplay the differences. “As per the desire of our Congress colleagues, we have incorporated the relevant provisions of the 73rd Amendment in the J&K Panchayati Raj Act. Some other important provisions will be incorporated soon,” he said. He said the crux of the Amendment was a three-tier panchayat system. “We have a three-tier Panchayati Raj system since 1969,” the minister said. He added that the provisions of reservation, constitution of separate Election Commission and Finance Commission had been incorporated in the J&K Panchayati Raj Act. Furthermore, the purview of the Comptroller and Auditor General has been extended to the state to bring financial transparency in the PRIs. He said the provisions had been incorporated to make the J&K Panchayati Raj Act on the analogy of the 73rd Amendment. “We are committed to empower the panchayats like in other parts of the country,” he said. During the panchayat conference, addressed by All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, panchayat members created an uproar against the Omar Abdullah-led government for not empowering the panchayats and blocking the extension of the 73rd Amendment to J&K. |
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Rahul brings cheer to rural women
Budgam, November 8 Not only did they tell how Umeed was benefiting them, but they also came up with several suggestions on how to empower the rural women of the state, which the Congress vice-president keenly took note of. “We had seen you only on television before and today are so happy to see you in front of our eyes,” said Nahida, a community mobiliser of the Umeed scheme. She also pointed out that they were facing problems while procuring bank loans. Later, Rahul said bringing the entire women population of the rural areas under the banking system was among his main priorities towards his efforts towards women empowerment. Several other women beneficiaries told tales of how their economic conditions had improved after associating with the self-help groups of the Umeed programme. While around a dozen women spoke on the occasion, later Rahul along with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, also present on the occasion, spent some time listening to other women present in the crowd. Both walked into the crowd and heard the problems faced by rural women. Interacting with them, Omar admitted that various schemes had been announced in the past with much fanfare but had not been implemented properly. However, he said both Rahul and he had decided not to allow the Umeed programme to follow suit. Both urged the women to come forward for their rights so that they were adequately empowered. “Till women do not come forward, there will be no progress in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the entire country,” said Omar. Rahul said he had noticed that only those states of the country where women had “got confidence” were moving forward. Women, mostly from rural areas of both Kashmir and Jammu regions, attended the function at the central Kashmir town. |
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Met alerts a week in advance, courtesy link to GPS system
Jammu, November 8 Officials said the data was being shared with weather scientists of Pakistan and China as per the guidelines of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Sources said apart from 15 interlinked automatic weather stations, scientists were able to predict rain and snowfall in advance by using weather balloons. The balloons collect data from the upper atmosphere particularly in Kashmir valley and Ladakh region. “GPS-based instruments, weather balloons and AWS work in tandem to provide real-time data now. It was not possible earlier. These sophisticated machines, designed to disseminate information about snowfall, inclement weather, avalanche threats, heavy or scant rainfall, had facilitated the administration to create early warning system,” said Sonum Lotus, Director, IMD. Lotus said regular data was being shared with weather scientists of China and Pakistan under the guidelines of the WMO and vice versa. Officials said there was another project sponsored by the Indian Space Research Organisation, allowing linking AWS with satellite so that entire information could be dispatched to a central grid, to let officials to take decision to avoid disasters like 2005 snow tsunami. “Till 2005, the administration was dependent on two stations based in Jammu and Srinagar and agromet stations of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences (SKUAST-Jammu and Srinagar) for the weather forecast,” said Dr MK Khushu, former agromet scientist at
SKUAST-Jammu. |
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Will support Rahul’s efforts to solve Kashmir issue: Mirwaiz
Srinagar, November 8 “If the new and young leadership of India
will come forward with a positive thinking and a realistic policy towards the just solution of the Kashmir issue, it will find the leadership and youth here with them,” Mirwaiz said while addressing a gathering at Jamia Masjid in the old city area. The moderate separatist faction has braved militant threats and held talks in the past with New Delhi during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s BJP-led NDA government and later Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Congress-led UPA government. Mirwaiz, in a message addressed to Rahul Gandhi, however, said democracy and elections were meaningless without right to life, right to practise politics and right to religion. “I want to tell Mr Gandhi that we are not against development, (in fact) the youth here want employment, but when the right of life is snatched from the people and their religious and political rights are suppressed, democracy, Panchayati Raj and municipal elections become meaningless,” Mirwaiz said. The separatist chief was referring to the local administration’s refusal to allow prayers inside Jamia Masjid and other major mosques in the region during disturbed law and order situations. He said Rahul had a “long way to go in Indian politics” and hoped that he would lead the “new generation in India” with “realistic policies and thinking” so that the road was paved for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. The Congress vice-president returned from
the Kashmir valley yesterday after addressing three rallies in a day. While the mainstream politicians, including the state unit of the Congress, have worked on development and other administrative issues, separatist politicians have largely kept themselves busy talking about the need for
resolution of Kashmir and have boycotted all elections since 1987, in which many of them had participated. Mirwaiz criticised the top Congress leader of ignoring “ground realities”
during his recent trip to the state and instead focusing on employment and elections. “I want to tell Mr Gandhi, which democracy and which democratic institutions is he talking about?” Mirwaiz said, adding that former Army chief VK Singh’s claim of financing politicians in the region is now before the world. Mirwaiz, while repeating the separatist footnote, said peace could not be established in the region without New Delhi changing its policy and basing it in “historical truths”. |
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By June, shell out more to travel on new Jammu-Srinagar highway
Nandani, November 8 Vehicles carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims will also be charged at one of the toll collection centres on the Jammu -Udhampur stretch near the Bantalab area of Nagrota. Official sources said the NHAI, which is a nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, had retained the rights of toll collection at all five centres to be established on the 240-km-long Jammu-Srinagar highway. “The NHAI will pay a whopping Rs 26,000 crore annuity to six concessionaires during a concession period spanning 17 years, excluding three years of construction, to compensate them for the capital cost and the operation and maintenance expenses of the project,” a source said. Talking to The Tribune, R P Singh, Project Director, NHAI, Jammu, said there would be five toll collecting centres on the new four-lane highway. “The first toll plaza is being set up near Bantalab. It is likely to be opened to traffic in June 2014, while the second toll centre will be established at 9.2-km-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel. The other three toll centres will be between Udhampur and Ramban stretch, at 8.5-km-long Quazigund-Banihal tunnel and on the Srinagar-Banihal road,” the director said. “We are finalising the toll to be charged from vehicles at the centre near Bantalab and it is likely to be anything between Rs 70 and Rs 75 for light motor vehicles and private cars while it may be three times more for trucks. It will probably be Re 1 per km for light motor vehicles and it is being calculated as per the cost of the project. The toll charges will be updated as per wholesale price index.” The NHAI had treaded the annuity path to develop and maintain the four-lane project of the Jammu-Srinagar highway, which will end the isolation of the Kashmir valley with rest of the country during harsh winters. Under the annuity model, the highway developers will get a return on their investments in the form of fixed semi-annual payments by the government through the concession period. The four-lane project, which began in 2011, has been divided into six sub-projects comprising widening of the Jammu-Udhampur road (65 km), Ramban-Udhampur road (43 km), Banihal-Ramban road (36 km), Qazigund-Banihal road (15.25 km) and Srinagar-Banihal road (67.7 km) and construction of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel (9.2 km). The new highway will reduce the distance between the two capital cities (Jammu and Srinagar) by 50 km. At present, the 240 km are covered in 9 to 10 hours; this will be reduced to 5 hours. Four-laning by 2016
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Anganwadis a boon for kids from remote areas
Katra, November 8 However, what is missing in most cases is the willingness to implement this scheme. Nonetheless, now, some states are proving that the ICDS can indeed be implemented successfully. Nita Singh likes to send her three-year-old child to anganwadi centre in Talwara in Reasi and she says it makes her child confident, healthy and ready for school. "They teach him stories and songs. He eats well there and they even serve sweets," says Singh. The Jammu & Kashmir government is setting an example to show that the ICDS can indeed have an impact by providing better infrastructure and a diet that's high on protein and carbohydrates. "The government has sponsored us with fuel and cookers so it's easier to cook. The food is tasty too because the quality is good," says anganwadi worker Neeto Devi. The anganwadi workers get Rs 3,700 per month. "Even though the salary is less, this job gives me a lot of satisfaction. Preparing food for children is holy work," says anganwadi worker Neetu. "Only a few states like J&K, TN and Pondicherry are providing milk because the state governments are providing a lot of money from their own coffers for the scheme. That is why the scheme is making a dent on malnutrition," says Rafiq Ahmead, district social welfare officer, Reasi. The district administration is advocating ICDS through community health workers. Around 1,886 women in the district go to village households, encouraging women to go to anganwadi centres and draw benefits. "Children of remote areas like Mahore are generally poor and weak. These people don't even know if their kids get a balanced diet or not. However, with some efforts, many of them have understood about the significance of a balanced diet," says Rafiq, adding that the financial allocation for ICDS has been increased to Rs 173 lakh this year and every penny counts for these little children. For the sake of India's future, it can only be hoped that these little ones no longer go to bed hungry and children don't lose their lives, in a country that is proud of its economic growth. |
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After Srinagar, Tulip
Garden to come up in Anantnag
Srinagar, November 8 “The Central government has sanctioned Rs 22 crore for the development of Tulip Garden spread over 471 kanals in Anantnag on the pattern of the Tulip Garden (in Srinagar). Work on the project will be started soon,” Minister for Haj, Auqaf, Public Enterprises and Floriculture Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed said while addressing a seminar organised by the Department of Floriculture here today. The minister said the government was making every effort to rejuvenate the floriculture sector in the Valley to make health resorts and tourist centres attractive by developing parks and gardens at tourist places across the state. He said this would increase the influx of tourists and generate employment opportunities. He said the Floriculture Department would be streamlined on modern scientific lines by introducing latest scientific technology and techniques. He asked the Director, Floriculture, to set up two training centres for the department gardeners to train them in latest floriculture techniques.
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Jammu, November 8
Budgam, November 8
Nandani, November 8
Katra, November 8
